


Two Months Of Torture

by Wednesday990



Category: Dragonball Z
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-03-12
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2017-11-01 21:06:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wednesday990/pseuds/Wednesday990
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gohan is trying, as usual, to lead a normal life as a high school teenager, but he swears the universe is trying to make it harder for him when his school sends his class on field trip. Their destinations? Satan Mansion, Capsule Corp, Ox Kingdom, and the home of the last World Martial Arts Champion, Son Goku!<br/>What's a half-Saiyan to do?</p><p>(Original prompt belongs to BeadleJuice on ffnet. This story is also posted on ffnet)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Surprise Gohan! You're Going On a Trip!!

Gohan had been attending Orange Star High School for nearly two months when he decided that his life was officially over. It didn't seem fair that just as he finally got to go to school, meet new friends, and become a super hero, he was going to have to give it up.

It was a morning just like every other he had experienced as a high school student, and it began by sprinting to his first period class. Luckily for Gohan he'd made it just in time, and he'd planted himself in his seat only moments before the bell rang. Their homeroom teacher looked up from his position in front of the podium and looked around the classroom.

"Good morning class. It's good to see you're here on time today, Mr. Son. Hopefully you can keep it up."

Gohan turned red and ducked his head in embarrassment as some of his classmates turned to grin at their resident absent-minded genius.

"Now, I have an announcement to—"

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Roberts!" Videl shouted as she ran into the room and to her seat.

"Not a problem, Miss Satan. I understand your police work takes priority over your school work."

Gohan groaned a little in disbelief at the blatant favoritism the teachers of the school showed toward Satan's daughter. Not that he thought what she was doing wasn't important, but it would be nice if the teachers would give him a break every once in a while.

"Now, as I was saying, I have an important announcement to make. Next monday, the entire class will be going on a trip for two months. We have four destinations and I'm sure that you'll be looking forward to each one.

"For the first month we'll be splitting our time between four different locations, one for each week. Our first stop is to the home of the great Hercule Satan himself where he'll give all of you a week of free martial arts lessons and answer any questions you have about his heroic deeds!"

The teacher paused as the class broke into chaos. Everyone in the class was either cheering or chattering to the people around them. The teacher smiled at their excitement and waited for them to calm down, but no one noticed that only two of the teenagers weren't showing any kind of excitement.

Videl had known months that her dad was going to be having her class over for a week, but she couldn't help rolling her eyes at his antics. It was obvious that he just wanted more people around to boost his ego. Of course Videl didn't miss the fact that a certain Son Gohan looked just as unenthusiastic as she did at the prospect of visiting the Satan household. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. That boy was just too out of the ordinary. She'd use these two monthes to her advantage and find out what he was hiding!

"Next, we'll be visiting the amazing Capsule Corp, the most sucessful company in the world and located in West City. There you'll be learning about their cutting edge developments in technology and about the inner-workings of their corporation."

Again he had to pause until the cheers died down. Videl noticed that 'unenthusiastic' was too weak of a word to describe Gohan now. He looked as if someone had _died_ or something. Definitely suspicious.

"Our third destination will be the kingdom of the elusive Ox King. Fortunately we managed to contact him, and you'll be learning all about his mysterious past, the ancient artifacts he's managed to collect over the decades, and about the myths of the planet."

Whispers filled the room as everyone began gossiping about what they knew about the Ox King and his kingdom; none of it was good.

"I assure you students that we would not allow any of you to go if it was in the least bit dangerous!" Mr. Roberts shouted over the loudly whispering class. Silence fell again as the class realized that their teacher hadn't finished speaking to them yet.

"The final week of the first month will be spent at the home of someone more reclusive than even the Ox King."

The class leaned forward as one large group, all of them holding their breath as the teacher paused for dramatic effect.

"The family of the former World Martial Arts Champion, the legendary Son Goku, has graciously allowed us to stay at their home for the last week and then supervise our last month of survival training!"

Videl had glued her eyes to Gohan who was beginning to look like he had lost all will to live. He'd given up on actually paying attention to the rest of the class and he looked like he was attempting to suffocate himself with the inside of his elbow. Son Goku? She had almost forgotten the name of the former world martial arts champion and the more she thought about it, the more she realized the Gohan had to be related to the guy. After all, their names were only off by one syllable!

"Quiet down everyone!" their teacher was attempting to gain their attention once again with little luck. "I still need to tell you about your month of survival training!"

This seemed to rouse everyone's interest and the class quickly settled down. They stared expectantly at Mr. Roberts.

"The last month, as I've mentioned, will be spent learning how to survive in the wilderness. You will be supervised by Son Chichi and several others who have been selected to give you a diverse learning opportunity.

"I assure you that they will be placing your safety as a top priority, but please keep in mind that there is a possibility you might find yourself in danger. As long as you listen to your instructors you will be fine, but I understand if either you, or your parents have any problems with this. Therefore, the survival training is optional, but the first month is not!

"I am now passing out permission slips as well as a list of things you will need. The first list is a recommendation for the first portion of the trip, but the second half is absolutely required for the survival training. If you have any issues in acquiring what you need, please let me know.

"These permission slips must be returned no later than Friday."

With that, Mr. Roberts started passing out the two sheets of paper.

* * *

At lunch, Gohan looked at his food sullenly, for once not feeling the urge to shove all of the food into his mouth in one go. The weather outside was beautiful, and he felt as if nature herself was trying to mock him. How was he supposed to keep up his charade as a normal teenager through those two months? And what was Bulma and the rest of his family thinking? His grandpa, he could maybe understand, but his mother? Gohan could feel the knots tightening in his stomach when he thought of confronting her about it later that night. It would be unavoidable since he needed her to sign his permission slip.

"What's wrong, Gohan? Aren't you excited about the trip?" Erasa asked, poking him in the side.

Gohan flinched and turned to give Erasa a sheepish grin. The four of them, Erasa, Videl, Sharpner, and himself, were sitting in a loose circle on the school grounds. Both Videl and Sharper had finished eating and were soaking up the sun before they had to head back to class.

Sharpner was laying down completely, looking like he was just a nod away from completely dozing off. Videl, on the other hand, was nowhere near that level of relaxation. In fact, she looked oddly tense, more than Gohan was used to seeing, and she had that look in her eye that he'd learnt to associate with her need to interrogate him.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head before letting out a soft sigh.

"I'd rather not explain just yet, but I guess you'll find out eventually. Besides you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Videl didn't look like she was satisfied with his explanation and was about to comment, but Erasa cut her off to continue her own line of investigation.

"If you're sure, but there was something I've been meaning to ask you though..."

Erasa paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. She placed her pointer finger on the side of her face as she looked off into the distance, trying to find the right words.

"Mr. Roberts said that we'd be visiting the Son family, the family of the former World Champion, Son Goku, but isn't _your_ last name Son? I mean, even Goku sounds a lot like Gohan!"

"U-uhhhh..." Gohan gave her shaky smile, trying to think of a way to answer this. Should he tell them the truth? It seemed like lying would be completely pointless now. If they knew that Son Goku was the former world champion then it wasn't that hard to connect the dots.

"But that's kind of weird isn't it? Wouldn't you have mentioned if your father was a world champion? I mean, I think anyone who has family like that would boast about it."

"Please," Sharpner spoke up from his position on the ground. "Sure their names sound the same, but who would believe that nerd boy could be related to a World Champ? I mean his dad's probably some scrawny genius that works for Capsule Corp."

"Errr..."

"Don't be mean, Sharpner!" Erasa scolded him, turning to frown at the other blond of the group. "I'm sure Gohan's dad is great!"

She turned back to Gohan to give him a reassuring smile and he smiled back at her with gratitude in his eyes.

"Well, Gohan, which is it?" Videl finally spoke up, her glare intense as she focused on their newest friend.

"W-what do you mean, Videl?" Gohan asked trying to look like he wasn't hiding anything. Unfortunately for Gohan it worked just as well as all the other times Videl had turned her investigating powers to him. Meaning, not at all.

"Are you related to the Son Goku?"

"Well, yeah, actually," Gohan said, finally deciding to own up. After all, they'd find out any way in just a couple of weeks. "I'm his son."

"Really?" Erasa exclaimed, looking pleased. "That's so great, Gohan! Why didn't you tell us about it? And how come you didn't let us know that your family was going to be having us over for the class field trip?"

"I didn't know!" Gohan answered honestly. Some of his frustration bled out when he said this, his hands waving wildly in the air to add emphasis to his statement. "Mom never said anything to me, I swear!"

"Oh," Erasa said, blinking at him as she tried to process this. "Well, I'm sure she had her reasons."

"Wait up!" Sharpner exclaimed as he suddenly jolted up into a sitting position. "You're telling me that you really are related to a World Champ! And it's your dad! Dude, why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, it never came up," Gohan said, looking a little confused.

"What do you mean?" Videl asked. "You know that _my_ dad is the current World Champ. It wouldn't have been that out of place to say something about yours."

"Well...my dad died seven years ago," Gohan explained.

The group suddenly sobered up when Gohan let this slip, and both Videl and Sharpner looked slightly guilty when they thought back to all of their insensitive questioning. Erasa just frowned sympathetically and put a hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"Oh, Gohan! I'm so sorry! He must have died when Cell attacked; I understand why you wouldn't have wanted to tell us!"

Videl looked down at the ground in front of her feeling even worse than she had before. Of course Gohan wouldn't want to talk about his dad when he'd probably died fighting Cell. After all, her dad had fought Cell and had survived. How would she feel if she were in Gohan's position?

"It's okay. It was a long time ago."

"How come you don't do martial arts then?" Sharpner asked, curiously. "I mean, if my dad was a martial arts champion, I'd have begged him day and night to train me."

"Well, I do know some martial arts, I mean my whole family does," Gohan admitted.

Videl narrowed her eyes at this. Of course! If his dad was a martial arts champion that made him ten times more likely to be the Great Saiyaman!

"But my mom wanted me to be a great scholar. She's always made me study in my spare time, even when I was a kid."

"Oh, wow, man. That sucks," Sharpner admitted, looking guilty again. After all, it sounded like Gohan didn't even have a choice.

"It's not that bad," Gohan assured them. "And I _do_ want to be a scholar. Besides, dad usually trained me anyway, or one of his friends did. It just meant that mom made me study extra hard when I got back."

"We didn't know that you did martial arts either though!" Erasa complained. "You don't have to hide stuff from us, Gohan!"

Gohan just chuckled, but felt a little deranged since he could feel the nervous energy in him reveal itself when he did so.

"So, I guess Son Chichi is your mother?" Videl asked.

"Yeah," Gohan confirmed.

"What's she like?" Erasa asked, curious to learn more about their mysterious friend now that he'd revealed some of his secrets.

"Er, she's nice most of the time, I guess. She's pretty stubborn and she has a really short fuse so we try not to make her angry."

"Does she do martial arts, too?" Erasa asked.

"Yeah, totally!" Gohan grinned, happy enough to brag about his mother. "My mom fought my dad in the quarter-finals of the world championship. My dad proposed during their fight, and they got married after he won!"

The other three looked stunned at this revelation, and all of them were wondering just what Gohan's parents were like.

"That's so...romantic, Gohan!" Erasa tried to cover up her shock. She clasped her hands in front of her and gave him a big grin.

"Do you think so?" Gohan asked thoughtfully. "I asked her a while ago what the two of them did on their first date and she said that they just sparred the whole day. I mean, they were just kids at the time, but still..."

"Oh, your parents met as children?" Erasa looked at Gohan curiously, ignoring the fact that his entire family seemed to be fighting fanatics.

"Yeah, when they were twelve, I think..."

"That's so cute! Childhood sweethearts!"

Sharpner scoffed a little, but he'd been hanging onto every word just like Erasa and Videl. It was true, they didn't get to hear a lot about Gohan and now that he thought about it, their friend was surprisingly quiet when talking about himself.

They were startled out of their thoughts by the ringing bell and all of them grudgingly got ready to go back to class. However, it was sure to pass by quickly now that Videl and the others had this new information to think about.

* * *

When school let out, Gohan ducked into an alley and flew to Capsule Corp. He would confront his mother later about her decision to keep him out of the loop, but first he wanted to ask Bulma about her part in all of this.

He waved to Dr. Briefs and Mrs. Briefs when he landed and stopped only to ask where he could find Bulma.

"Hmm," Dr. Briefs hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Bunny could be seen spinning happily through the garden with water can behind him. "I'm pretty sure she's still in the lab. Try there first."

"Thanks, Dr. Briefs!"

Gohan sped off into the house and quickly found Bulma in her lab, working on a new project.

"Hey Bulma!"

Gohan walked over to where the blue-haired scientist was working. Bulma looked up when she heard her name, and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hey kiddo! How's it going?"

She put down what she's been working on to give the teenager her full attention. She frowned when Gohan froze, as if he'd just remembered something, and slunk over to sit in the stool next to her. She grew more concerned when he hung his head and sighed.

"Oh, Gohan, what's wrong?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Bulma!" Gohan exclaimed. He looked up at her, suddenly remembering her part in all of this. "Why didn't you tell me that Capsule Corp was going to have my class here for a field trip?"

Bulma blinked at this accusation and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Your class?" she repeated. "I don't remember inviting them here, but, to be honest, dad's the one that organizes that kind of stuff, not me, and I don't think he knows the name of your high school."

"Oh man, really?"

Gohan looked crushed. He just had the worst luck some times.

"Chin up, kid," Bulma said, trying to get his spirits up. "You have me here to help you out and I'll make sure that Vegeta doesn't bother you too much."

"Thanks, Bulma."

Gohan felt a little better knowing that he had Bulma's support.

"Any time, Gohan," Bulma smiled at him, feeling glad that he seemed to be perking up. "Why don't you go train with Vegeta and Trunks in the gravity room for a bit? I'll call Chichi to let her know that you'll be coming home late."

"That sounds great!"

"Good," Bulma said. "Do you want to stay over for dinner too? I'm sure Chichi wouldn't mind."

"That's okay," Gohan said. "I have to give her the permission slip. And there's something else I have to talk to her about."

"All right then," she said. "If you insist. Run off and I'll make the call."

"Thanks again Bulma!"

Gohan ran off to the gravity room, looking excited at the chance to let off some steam.

Bulma watched him leave and shook her head. She grabbed a cigarette and after she'd lit one, picked up her phone to call Chichi.

_Man, I really feel sorry for the kid. He's been trying so hard, after all. I'm sure he'll be fine though..._


	2. Ya Dun Goofed, Mr. Satan!

Gohan was feeling a lot better after he'd spent some time training with Vegeta and Trunks in the gravity room. It also didn't hurt to have Bulma's word that she would support him during his week at Capsule Corp. With this peace of mind, Gohan flew in lazy spirals through the night sky, absorbing the calm that spread over the world as the sun sank into the sky. The only thing that was really bothering him was the upcoming confrontation with his mother. He couldn't think of reason why she hadn't told him about the field trip. She knew he was trying to appear as normal as possible at school; in fact, she was a full supporter of the idea since she didn't want him to have any distractions that might make him stray from his studies. With that in mind, his mother's behavior just didn't make any sense.

Gohan flew down low as he approached the clearing where his house was. Well, whatever the answer was, he was about to find out.

"Mom! Goten! I'm home!" Gohan shouted as he opened the door and removed his shoes.

"Gohan!"

The wild, high-pitched cry of his name was the only warning he had before he was tackled from behind by the mini maelstrom they liked to call Goten.

"Hey, little brother!"

Gohan laughed along with the giggling miniature of his father and spun him in the air before setting him down.

"Hey, that's enough!" Chichi called from the doorway that led to the kitchen. Her words were harsh, but her tone was mild, and she looked at the two of her sons fondly. "No swinging around in the house. Now that Gohan's home, we can eat."

"Oh boy!" Goten exclaimed as he raised his arms into the air and sprinted into the kitchen.

"Hey mom!" Gohan greeted his mother, and he walked over to give her a quick hug. She smiled up at him once they had separated, and Gohan felt his resolve waning. He'd have to put off asking her any questions until after dinner.

"How's Bulma and the rest?" Chichi asked as the two of them walked at a more sedate pace toward the kitchen table where Goten was energetically piling food onto his plate.

"They're all fine," Gohan told her as they sat down and began serving themselves as well. "I was just asking Bulma for some advice and when we were done talking I spent some time with Trunks and Vegeta."

"Really? You got to see Trunks!" Goten lit up when he heard the name of his closest friend. "Aw man, I'm so jealous! Now I really want to go to school with you next time if you get to visit Trunks on your way home!"

"Now, none of that mister!" Chichi scolded Goten. "You'd only distract your brother from his studies! And Trunks just visited last weekend. Gosh, any closer and you'd think the two of you were attached at the hip."

Again, Chichi's words were harsh, but in reality she couldn't be more pleased that her youngest son had found such a steadfast friend in the other half-saiyan child. She almost felt bad for Gohan sometimes since it seemed that he had spent most of his childhood in the company of an aggressive, green alien and a bald dwarf that was over two decades older than him. At least he had the chance to make friends his own age now that he was in high school.

"Speaking of school, how was your day, Gohan? Did you study hard?" Chichi directed the conversation toward her eldest son.

Gohan froze in the process of shoveling food into his mouth. He was more hungry than usual since he hadn't eaten as much as he normally did at lunch, and he didn't get the chance to eat anything at Bulma's after the intense sparring session either. However, knots formed in his stomach again, and he had to put down his utensils. It seemed that the conversation he had been avoiding was going to happen sooner rather than later.

"It was good," Gohan offered to his mother.

Chichi narrowed her eyes at her son. Gohan wasn't eating, which by itself was pretty odd, but when he answered her, he'd mumbled and avoided her eyes.

"Just good?" Chichi prompted as she picked at her own food. Her gaze still fixed upon him. "Nothing interesting happened?"

"Uh, well..." Gohan began, not quite sure how he wanted to word this. He didn't want to sound accusing after all. Man, he wish his mother had just told him that she was planning to have his class here for a field trip! Why did this have to be so hard?

"Our class is going on a field trip," Gohan said carefully. "For two months. They gave me the permission slip to give to you."

"Oh really?" Chichi smiled, suddenly understanding her son's behavior. "I was wondering when they were going to tell your class."

"Mom!" Gohan burst out suddenly, startling Goten who was the only one out of the loop in this conversation. "They're going to be spending the fourth week here! Did you know about this? How come you didn't tell me?"

"Well, of course I knew," Chichi said, frowning. "I didn't think you'd mind though."

"Moooom," Gohan whined a little. "It's going to be _super_ hard to pretend I'm normal now! It's bad enough that everyone thinks I'm a nerd, but I don't want them to think I'm a freak too!"

"Oh, Gohan. You're not a freak," Chichi scolded. "How could you think that? Besides, I'm only going to be taking them on a survival exercise in the woods around the house. Surely that won't reveal your 'secrets'."

"But mom, we're also going to be visiting Hercule Satan, Capsule Corp, and Grandpa Ox!" Gohan exclaimed, starting to feel frustrated by his mother's lack of concern. "How am I supposed to hide things when faced with _that?_ "

Chichi looked a little surprised when she heard about the other destinations the school had arranged.

"Well," Chichi began, thinking a little. "That is a little much isn't it? But I guess you're just going to have to endure it, Gohan."

"B-but," Gohan started to protest, but Chichi's fuse was beginning to shorten the longer the conversation continued.

"No buts, mister! Honestly Gohan, it shouldn't be that hard. I can call dad to let him know the situation, and I'm sure Bulma will be more than happy to help you out! All you have to do is keep your head down while at the Satan's place and be discreet! Either way there's nothing _I_ can do about it! We need the money. Meat and clothes don't exactly grow on trees, you know?"

Gohan visibly wilted under the ire of his mother and sighed. He should have known better than to look to his mother for sympathy with this. Now that he knew that they were being offered money for holding the survival lessons, he knew that there was no way that he'd be able to convince his mother this was a bad idea.

Goten looked at his older brother and his mother, his face scrunched up from confusion as he tried to understand what they were arguing about exactly. It sounded awesome! Gohan had a chance to visit Trunks and their Grandpa and it was for school! Gohan was just so lucky sometimes!

"That sounds great Gohan!" Goten exclaimed, startling both Chichi and Gohan out of their foul moods. "I'm sure you're going to have a great time! You get to see everyone! Can I visit when you go over to Trunks house and to Grandpa Ox?"

"I don't think so, Goten," Chichi answered for her other son. "Anyway, Gohan and his class will be coming here for the last week of the first month and then for the survival training for the next month."

"Oh, but mom," Goten pouted a little. "Then I won't see Gohan for forever!"

"We'll see," Chichi conceded a little rolling her eyes at the downtrodden, seven-year-old half-saiyan next to her.

"Yay!"

Goten immediately brightened up at the possibility of seeing his big brother before the last week.

Gohan smiled a little, feeling his heart lighten a little in the face of his younger brother's naive enthusiasm. Maybe his mom was right. It wasn't exactly the end of the world after all. He could hide his identity as the Great Saiyaman and his other supernatural powers for a measly two months. Sure, it would be hard, but if he managed it, maybe he'd have fun on this field trip despite everything else.

* * *

Gohan couldn't believe that it was already the first day of their school trip. After handing in their permission slips, the students had the weekend to prepare for the trip, and monday would be the beginning of their first week. Plus, since Satan Mansion was so close to Orange Star High School, they weren't wasting any time by travelling on Monday, but the end of the week, Sunday, would be their normal travelling day in the future.

"Okay kids!" one of their chaperones called from the side of the bus. "Everyone, put your suitcases in the bus's luggage compartment and line up so we can check everyone in! Remember the numbers we've assigned to you so that we can do random attendence checks!"

Gohan was impressed by the amount of caution and preparation the school was taking. He'd almost half-expected them to just drop them off at the mansion and leave.

"Hey Gohan!"

Gohan turned around to see Erasa and Sharpner standing on line. He smiled and waved back at them before throwing his duffle bag into the bus with the others.

"Hey guys!" Gohan said as he joined them. He looked around curiously for their one missing member. "Where's Videl?"

"She's going to meet up with the class at the mansion," Erasa explained. "She said that it didn't make much sense for her to leave her house and come to school just to go back to her house again."

"I guess that makes sense," Gohan shrugged. It was probably what he would have done, now that he thought about it.

The three of them chatted a bit about school and some of the more benign (in Gohan's opinion) speculations about the trip until it was finally their turn.

"Okay, Erasa Board? Your number is five."

Erasa climbed onto the bus and promised to save them a seat.

"Let's see... Sharpner Pencil? You're number twenty."

Sharpner patted Gohan on the back and followed Erasa up the steps of the bus. Gohan turned when he heard some knocking, only to see Erasa waving at him from her window seat. He waved back before the chaperone brought his attention back to him with a tell-tale clearing of the throat.

"And Son Gohan... your number is twenty-five."

"Thanks," Gohan chirped.

After he'd found his seat on the bus (unfortunately the seats were paired in twos, but Erasa had found a two seater with a single in front of it), he gazed out of the window to get last glimpse he'd get of his high school for the next two months. Whether he liked it or not, this was when his challenge began.

* * *

Gohan and his classmates poured out of the bus, energetic and happy despite the early hour. Thankfully the bus ride had been short, only ten minutes, but Gohan knew that it would take over an hour to get to West City on the next bus ride. He regretted the fact that he couldn't fly there himself. After all, it only took about 15 minutes by flying, even at a relatively low speed.

Erasa, Sharpner, and Gohan grouped together as they waited for their teacher to knock on the Satan's door. Gohan took a moment to look at the structure before them. The mansion could be likened to a palace, and Gohan was impressed by the sheer size of it. The gate was made out of black wrought iron and had been twisted on top to form intricate edged curls. The entrance of the mansion was designed in the classic style, meaning that large, white ionic columns framed a large wooden door in front of the smooth red stone that the rest of the house was made of. Gohan guessed that there had to be at least 50 rooms in this house since there was actually seperate _wings._

"Pretty impressive, huh?"

Gohan turned to see Sharpner and Erasa gazing up at the monstrosity of a house. Even Bulma's home at Capsule Corp wasn't this big, and she was the wealthiest woman in the world!

"Not that I would expect anything less of the champ," Sharpner continued, crossing his arms and smirking as he did so.

"Yeah, I guess," Gohan said, looking at the mansion again. He didn't really understand why the guy had to live in such a big house. After all, from what Videl had told them, it was just her and her dad living here.

Suddenly, the large door opened and Videl popped her head out, much to everyone's surprise.

"Hi everyone!" she said, stepping out onto the gravel of the driveway, and she waved her arm to get everyone's attention.

"Just come with me! I'm going to take you to our auditorium so that my dad can let you know what we're going to do this week."

This sent the entire group of teenagers into chatting mode with a vengence, and you could practically feel the excitement of the group rising.

Videl led them through the doors of the mansion, and they all gathered together so that they could walk together as a group into the spacious hallway.

"You might want to start remembering your way around now," Videl began conversationally as she led her class to the auditorium. "I'll give everyone the grand tour later on, but it never hurts to start learning your way around now. I remember when I first moved here; I got lost all the time!"

Gohan smiled at this rarely scene personable side of Videl. It wasn't often that he got to see her without her interrogating him about whatever small thing he may have slipped up on that day. It was definitely refreshing to see her in a different light. Videl led them down the large hallway and into another set of large wooden doors.

Videl opened them to reveal a scaled-down opera house and looked like it could seat about fifty people. The carpeting on the floor was plush and the sounds of their foot steps were nearly silent because of its density. Everyone sat down in the chairs surrounding a rounded stage and were surprised when they sunk into the dark red cushions. Overhead there were expensive and intricately wrought glass chandeliers; the stage was frame by heavy, brocaded curtains; and the walls were lined by the heavy wooden panels.

"Okay, just stay here for a second, I'll go get my dad," Videl told them while her class and her teachers absorbed the new surroundings.

Sharpner, Erasa, and Gohan were sitting together as a group in the back of the room. They'd saved a seat for Videl just in case she decided she wanted to sit with them when she got back. Thankfully, the wait wasn't for very long and soon they heard the doors behind them slam open.

"Helloooo!" Hercule's voice resonated throughout the room.

The students that had sat close to the door were rubbing their ears to soothe them from the sudden shock.

"Welcome to Satan Mansion!" Hercule's boisterous voice boomed over their heads as he put his fists onto his hips.

The 24th World Martial Arts Champion was wearing his usual uniform of loose, white, cotton bottoms; his baggy v-necked maroon shirt; his over-sized championship belt; and, to top off the entire ensemble, he was wearing his collared white cape. Gohan could feel the sweat gathering on the back of his head as he listened to the large man burst into unrestrained laughter. Gohan just wondered why he always swung his head back and opened his mouth so wide whenever he did so.

"You have the honor, no, the PRIVILEDGE, of being trained by yours truly while you are here!" Hercule announced as he strutted down the center aisle of the auditorium, climbed the steps to their left, and stood in the middle of the stage.

"You will all follow my vigorous training regime while you are here, and hopefully you'll learn a thing or two during your stay here! You'll be training along side my star pupils, so learn from them and be sure to ask them plenty of questions! Keep in mind, this is all free! But if you want to join my dojo later on you WILL be required to pay the full fee. "

Gohan could feel his face scrunch up as he tried not to show his confusion. Gohan tried to straighten out his expression, but it didn't work until he felt the sudden unmistakeable feeling of being pinned by an intense glare. Gohan perked up in his seat, and his face had flattened itself out as he looked around curiously. Gohan's face froze and grimaced when he noticed that Videl had taken the seat on the other side of Erasa, who was sitting on his left, and she was leaning forward so that she could glare right at him. Both Erasa and Sharpner, who was sitting on Gohan's right, were listening attentively to Hercule shout at them on the stage, but Videl had probably noticed the scrunched up face he had been wearing just moments before.

Gohan tried to save face by giving her an awkward smile and a slight wave. Her glare only intesified for a moment before she gave up and leaned back into her seat. Gohan let out a small sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the overly dramatic man in front of him. He had to remember to act normal. If he didn't, it would only make it harder on himself, and he wouldn't be able to go to school anymore!

"Now as you know, you're also here to learn about my heroic victory over that chump Cell seven years ago!"

Gohan groaned internally as the topic finally moved onto _that_ little problem. Gohan didn't know how he could keep a straight face if Hercule was going to wax poetic about his victory over Cell when the one who had _actually_ defeated Cell was in the same room as him.

"I know that you guys have probably heard about those _other_ chumps seven years ago who thought they could defeat Cell with their flashy light tricks. I just want to let you know that real victories are won through hand-to-hand combat! The struggle between a true martial artist and his opponent. There are no short cuts on the way to victory, and it is my plan to teach you this during your stay here!

"It has come to my attention that you will be staying with the 23rd World Champion at the end of this trip, but I want you guys to keep in mind that you guys shouldn't be too disappointed with a loser like that! After all, he couldn't be bothered to try for the title again in the next World Championship, or to show up at the Cell Games! I don't blame him, seeing as he would have surely lost! Just try not to make fun of him when you see him, okay kids?"

As the rest of their class cheered, Gohan's group stayed strangely silent. There was an odd tension in the air as the only ones who were aware that Gohan's dad _was_ the 23rd World Champion heard Hercule slander the deceased's name. Gohan was gripping the fabric of his slacks tightly, and he stared at the polished, wooden seat in front of him, trying to control some of the emotion churning within him.

He _knew_ that Hercule was just a clown, and that he had to keep his head down during this trip, but he couldn't deny that it _hurt_ when someone insulted his dad like that. His dad _was_ a hero, and he _had_ fought in the Cell Games. Son Goku was one of the most powerful forces this universe could produce, and _this_ was how the world was going to remember him?

Erasa, Videl, and Sharpner were watching their friend carefully, witnessing the tide of emotions washing up against Gohan's face. Videl felt more embarrassed by her father than usual especially since he was insulting the late father of one of her classmates. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Gohan must be feeling, but she knew that she would have decked the one who dared insult her father's memory in front of her. In that moment, she felt deep sympathy for her friend, and wondered what she could ever do to make up for the careless comments her father had made.

Erasa and Sharpner were just as shocked and concerned about the boy next to them. Sharpner felt conflicted; he was torn between the urge to defend his fellow classmate and mindlessly agreeing with everything his personal hero said. Erasa was feeling less conflicted.

"Hey, Mr. Satan!" Erasa called.

Everyone in the room jumped a little at the sudden noise and turned to look at the person who had dared to interrupt the World Champion. Erasa simply stood up from her seat in the back of the auditorium, and proudly lifted her chin in the direction of the so called hero in front of her.

"You shouldn't call him a coward!" Erasa scolded. "You might not know it, but Son Goku was the father of our friend Gohan here."

Erasa pointed at Gohan before she continued. Gohan could only gape up at the indignant blonde who was speaking for him in defense of his father.

"Son Goku _died_ seven years ago, and you should be honoring his memory! Not insulting him in front of his son!"

Erasa gave a small 'hmph!' as she crossed her arms and sat back down. Gohan's face was red with embarrassment, and he had ducked his head to avoid the stares of everyone in the small auditorium. Both Videl and Sharpner were both flabbergasted at the actions of their normally friendly and cheerful friend.

"Well, I-uhhhhh," Hercule began, his mouth wide open and gaping at the small, teenaged blonde girl who had put him in his place in front of a large audience of adoring fans _and_ his own daughter. Not to mention, there wasn't much he could do to blow this off. It looked like he had well and truly put his foot into his own mouth this time.

"I mean, I didn't- I, uh, I didn't _know_ about- uhh," Hercule felt his skin heat and redden as the attention of his audience shifted from the blonde back to him. "Aw, hell, I'm sorry, I didn't know that he'd died. No one told me."

This, Hercule directed toward Gohan who had only just managed to pick his head up again.

"Er, I tell you what kid, I'll give you personal training lessons this week, and any time in the future you want to train with me, it'll be for free! I'm sure your dad _was_ a real hero!"

This seemed to mollified the shocked crowd, and they applauded him for his 'thoughtfulness'. Erasa looked appeased now that Hercule had apologized, and Sharpner's pity quickly morphed into jealousy at Hercule's offer. Videl just knew that she was going to be having 'words' with her father about insulting people he didn't know. Unfortunately, Gohan felt himself wishing that he could will himself off the face of the Earth. Surely, this week couldn't get any worse.


	3. Hang In There Gohan!!! (Gohan Spends the Day with Mr. Satan!? Pt. 1)

Gohan tried opening his door as slowly as possible and winced as the door creaked.

Geez, you think with all this money, Mr. Satan would be able to get quieter doors, Gohan thought to himself as he peeked into the hallway.

Luckily it seemed that no one had been disturbed by the noise, despite the early hour. Well, perhaps whatever money Hercule Satan hadn't spent on his doors had gone to sound-proofing. Either way, Gohan was grateful as he made his way down to the kitchen undisturbed on an early Tuesday morning.

Unfortunately for our protagonist, there had been no getting out of the special "lessons" from the day before, and Gohan now had to endure a multitude of sympathetic looks from his classmates. He appreciated Erasa coming to the defense of his father, but he wasn't sure if he liked the consequences. Although the best thing to come out of it by far was that Videl had stopped grilling him for answers about his strange behavior.

Gohan shook his head as he tip-toed into the student kitchen. It was only five in the morning, but Gohan was hoping to get an early breakfast in so that he didn't freak anyone out with his huge appetite. Yet another thing that could set him apart if he wasn't careful. As nice as Videl was being right now, that didn't mean it couldn't change at any moment.

So, Gohan gathered together as much food as he could and started cooking. Gohan knew that a cooking crew was supposed to come in at six to start breakfast for the highschoolers, but hopefully he could prepare his breakfast and eat before they arrived. Then he could get in a quick training session by himself, take a shower, and make it back to the kitchen to "eat" with the rest of his classmates.

'Getting in a proper meal's probably going to be the hardest part' Gohan thought mournfully as he started shoveling eggs into his mouth. After all, he wouldn't be able to eat like he was used to for lunch and dinner, so he'd have to rely on early breakfasts and midnight snacks to get the nutrition he normally got at home.

When Gohan finally finished his breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, and rice, he let out a content sigh and patted his bulging stomach. At least he could count on having a good three meals a day when he got to Bulma's. It would be easier to sneak around in a place he knew like the back of his hand. Plus, Mrs. Brief always had snacks on hand. The only downside was Vegeta and Trunks. He loved hanging out with Trunks, of course, and training with Vegeta was always...interesting, but neither of them understood his need to appear normal. The two of them together had less subtlety than Mr. Satan in front of an audience.

"Well, I can worry about that later," Gohan said aloud as he got up. He cracked his back and started to stretch his arms out in preparation for his warm up. Although first he carried all his plates over to the dishwasher and started the machine up. Hopefully, the catering crew wouldn't think anything of it.

Gohan started to stretch some more as he walked over to the students gym that Videl had shown them the day before.

"What are you doing up so early?"

The voice echoed from behind Gohan and made him squeak just a little bit before he turned around sheepishly, already knowing who had caught.

"Oh, uh, Videl! Fancy seeing you here so early in the morning?"

Videl narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, her arms crossed. She quickly gave up though, her goodwill of yesterday seeemingly still affecting her today.

"Breakfast is in thirty minutes," Videl said, obviously putting effort into making it sound like normal conversation and not the inquisition. "Why are you heading over to the gym?"

"Oh, well, I got up early to have a snack and get to the gym," Gohan said, rubbing the back of his head as he pointed his head down toward the petite girl. "I figured I didn't want to make a fool of myself in front of your dad and everybody else today."

Videl's face finally softened a bit as she considered the wimpy(-looking) guy in front of her.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much," Videl said. "Dad won't go to hard on you. I told him that your mom made you focus on your studies instead of training. He feels really bad about yesterday, so he'll probably try to make up for that today."

Gohan laughed nervously, hoping that it could be mistaken for anxiety about training with Hercule, but he was really nervous about holding back. Of course, not saying anything about what actually happened at the cell games was probably going to be really hard as well. Sometimes it just got on his nerves that nobody knew the truth even though it was for the best. Oh well.

"Well, as long as it's just for today," Gohan said, mostly to himself.

Videl glared at him again, making Gohan jump and wave his hands around a little as he realized how bad that sounded.

"I mean, I'm sure the rest of the class wants a chance to spend time with Mr. Satan," Gohan offered. "I know that Sharpner is really excited for it, and some of the other guys too. Uh..."

Gohan blinked in wonder when Videl started to laugh. It was full-bellied laugh too, and Videl soon started clutching her stomach.

"No, it's okay," Videl said, wiping some tears from her eyes as she caught her breath. "I get what you mean. It's just, almost everyone is the complete opposite, so it's a little weird to hear something like that and know that it's genuine."

"Oh," Gohan said.

For some weird reason, Gohan noticed that Videl's eyes were a really pretty shade of purple. After laughing so much it was like they were sparkling, and Gohan wondered why he'd never seen that before.

'Of course, she is normally glaring at me,' Gohan thought with a frown, and quickly put those thoughts away.

"So what were you going to do in the gym?" Videl asked curiously.

"Well, I figured I'd do some of my dad's old routine," Gohan said. Of course, if Videl was going to join him, he would need to cut it down severely in order to make it look like it was doable by normal human standards. "You know, push-ups, sit-ups, and all that."

"Do you need any help?" Videl asked, looking a little skeptical. "It's pretty easy to injure yourself if you don't know what you're doing.

"No, it's okay," Gohan said. "I mean, I say I haven't trained since my dad, but my mom works out with me. She said it's as important to keep in shape as it is to study. She just didn't like it when me and my dad overdid it or when it cut into study time."

"Oh, well, okay then," Videl said. "I guess, I'll just wait for the catering crew and help them set up for the students."

"Yeah, I'm not going to do much," Gohan told her. "Just a warm-up and then I'll join everyone else for breakfast in a bit."

"Alright then," Videl said. "See you later."

She waved a little and ran off to the kitchen. Gohan let out a sigh when she finally disappeared behind the kitchen doors.

"Yeah, this is going to suck," Gohan said, thinking yet again about the rest of his field trip.

Videl got to the kitchen just in time to let in the caterers and to help them bring in the food supplies for the day. She was in the middle of directing them when she heard it.

"Hey, that's weird. This dishwasher's full of dishes."

Videl whipped around to look at the open dishwasher stuffed full of plates, pots and pans.

Could it have been...? Videl shook her head. It was probably just her dad's students having a midnight snack. She'd have to tell her dad to go harder on them if they had this much energy to eat through the night. She wouldn't want them gettting fat.

Gohan wiped some of the sweat off his brow as he finished his 1000th crunch, and looked over at the clock sitting on the wall.

"Crap!" Gohan said, wiping his shirt off and replacing it with his back-up. "I'm almost late for breakfast!"

Gohan quickly left the gym and headed toward the kitchen where he could see his classmates crowding around the entrance waiting for the doors to open.

"Over here Gohan!"

Gohan looked up and saw Erasa waving at him with a petulant looking Sharpner at her side.

"Hey guys!" Gohan yelled as he jogged over to them. "What's up?"

"Nothing yet, Gohan," Erasa said with a smile. "Just waiting for the catering crew to open the doors."

"Yeah, I'm starving," Sharpner said, frowning. "Hey, I bet I can eat more than you can bookworm! Ow-"

Sharpner rubbed his side where Erasa had jabbed him with her nails. She glared up at him slightly.

"I thought you agreed to be nicer to Gohan!" Erasa scolded him.

"Um, guys, it's okay," Gohan tried to placate them, forcing a grin and holding his hands out in front of him.

"I was being nicer!"

"Calling him names isn't being nice."

"Really, it's okay!" Gohan said loudly to get their attention.

The two blondes finally stopped to look over at him, their eyes wide and blinking.

"I know Sharpner didn't mean anything by it," Gohan said. "I'm not mad."

"See!" Sharpner said with a smile as he threw an arm over Gohan's shoulders. "Gohan here gets it. It's a guy thing, Erasa. You wouldn't understand."

"Hmph."

Erasa threw one last glare in Sharpner's direction, crossing her arms as she did before smiling again and walking over to Gohan's other side.

"So Gohan, are you excited about your training session with Mr. Satan?" Erasa asked cheerfully.

"Uh, yeah," Gohan said, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"Urgh, I'm so jealous," Sharpner said, clenching a fist and tightening his grip around Gohan's neck. It didn't really hurt, but Gohan tried his best to look uncomfortable. Which he was so he guessed that worked out fine. "I mean, I know he's doing it as an apology about your dad, which sucked by the way, but still..."

Sharpner bit the tip of his thumb and looked off to the side, trying to hide his face. Although his other arm was still clamped tight around Gohan's solid neck. Gohan moved a little bit with him to make it look like he was being pulled on.

"Well, I guess, maybe I'll tell him to focus on some of you guys too? I don't want to take up all of his time," Gohan offered.

Sharpner looked down at Gohan hopefully.

"Aw, man, I don't want to take away your time with him. I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Sharpner said, obviously trying to be reluctant, but his excitement was more than obvious to his two friends.

"I don't mind!" Gohan said. "I'm still spending time with... Hercule, but, uh, it's more fun if everyone else gets to enjoy themselves too. I'll bring it up when we go over to the gym."

"Thanks Gohan," Sharpner said, giving Gohan a noogie. "You're the best."

Gohan just laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly when Sharpner finally let him go.

"As long as you're okay with it, Gohan," Erasa said. "Oh look! The doors are opening."

Gohan and Sharpner looked over at the kitchen doors with wide, hopeful eyes. Their eyes only got wider when the tantilizing scents of pan-fried meat and eggs wafted over them. Gohan gulped nervously. It was going to be painful limiting himself to just a helping or two.

'Just one more week here,' Gohan reassured himself. 'Just one week.'

Gohan walked out of the kitchen with Erasa and Sharpner. Videl, who had joined them for breakfast had ran off ahead to the gym so that she could warn her dad that they were all on their way.

"Wow," Erasa said, picking at the sleeves of her white T-shirt, clearly uncomfortable being out of her normal sleeve-less tank top. "Videl really is putting a lot of effort into this. I can't wait to get to Capsule Corp so that she can relax."

"But that's kind of her personality right?" Gohan suggested. "She wouldn't go around helping the police and stuff if she didn't want to, either. I dunno, it just seems like she wants to help."

"I guess so," Erasa said thoughtfully, her pointer finger tapping her chin lightly as she looked toward the ceiling. "Wow, Gohan, I guess you understand Videl pretty well, don't you?"

"What, uh, I, no," Gohan sputtered, his cheeks going red as his hands went wild trying to deny what she was (probably) implying.

Sharpner looked displeased as well. He crossed his bare arms over his muscle-shirt clad chest, and scowled.

"I thought it was obvious," Sharpner boasted haughtily. "I just didn't want to say anything. You know, since it was really, really obvious and all."

"Uh-huh," Erasa said, rolling her eyes.

The teenagers all filed into the spacious gym, their teachers keeping them in line as they all tried to run ahead in their excitement. Almost everyone was happy to be in the gym so early in the morning, even the girls who were usually disgusted with early morning gym classes. They were getting the once-in-a-lifetime chance to train with the world-renowned hero, Hercule Satan, after all.

Soon they all made it into the gym, and sat down in rows, waiting patiently while looking excitedly around. The whispering cut off when another pair of doors opened up, and they looked on curiously as their fellow classmate, Videl, walked through.

"Okay, everyone!" Videl began. "My dad's getting ready with the rest of his students. Just sit tight for a bit and we should be getting started soon!"

Everyone started whispering excitedly again, and Videl walked over to where Erasa, Gohan, and Sharpner were sitting.

"Hey, Videl," Sharpner said as he gestured toward the empty space he had saved for her. Erasa and then Gohan sitting on his other side.

"Hey, Sharpner," she said as she passed him by and sat on the other side of Gohan.

Sharpner bit back a sob as he turned away, pulled out his handkerchief and bit into it to hold back his jealousy.

"Hey, Videl," Gohan said. "How are things going with your dad?"

"Hm," Videl hummed, her mouth twisting a little as she thought of the hot mess that was her dad. "He's okay, I think. He's just preparing to put on his usual performance."

"Ahahaha, right, of course," Gohan said cheerfully. "Should, uh, be exciting!"

"Of course, it will be Gohan!" Sharpner exclaimed, having sufficiently recovered from the subtle slight to his affections. "This is Hercule Satan we're talking about. Everything about him is exciting!"

This was too much enthusiasm for even the regular fans of Hercule Satan, and most of the people around the pumped-up Sharpner were wincing at the scene. Luckily, they didn't have to endure it for much longer.

Finally, the moment they had all been waiting for had arrived, and the mighty Hercule Satan made his entrance. Needless to say, it had the flair worthy of such a noble warrior. The doors banged open, smoke poured from the entrance, and a majestic figure could be seen making his way through the haze. Hercule had donned his regular training attire, with the addition of his pure white cape, and his championship belt tied securely around his waist.

"Good Morning my young pupils!"

No one could say that Hercule Satan had ever lacked enthusiasm, and this morning was simply another example of that. Some of the students flinched at the volume he was able to achieve, but most simply chanted a delighted "good morning" back to the self-proclaimed hero.

"Now, as you know, today you will be begin training with me and my disciples!"

Satan pointed to the small group of proud looking fighters behind him.

"The first part of your trip begins today with me! Here you will learn to harness your physical and spiritual strength into a force to be reckoned with! Just know, you cannot achieve this through anything other than HARD WORK!"

Hercule looked proud as he surveyed his awestruck crowd.

"There are no tricks here! No lightshows and no weapons! We fight man to man!"

Videl coughed loudly and glared at her father. Hercule lost his bravado for a second and glanced at her sheepishly.

"And woman to man, and woman to woman!" He amended to his daughter's satisfaction.

"Now, since I promised to take care of the training of the young Son Gohan personally!"

Hercule took the opportunity to point Gohan out (much to his displeasure).

"The rest of my disciples will separate you into groups and begin teaching you the basics! I will, of course, make sure to drop by each group to monitor your training! So no slacking off! Let's begin!"

Gohan groaned as Hercule's students began introducing themselves and pairing people off into groups.

"Are you excited Gohan?" Erasa asked him excitedly.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Gohan said. "I, uh, just don't want to take up too much of his time or anything."

"Don't worry about it, Gohan," Videl said to him. She was looking over the room, hands on her hips, watching to make sure everything was running smoothly. "Dad made a promise, and he always keeps his promises. He won't see it as a burden."

"Uh, right."

Gohan contemplated his next course of action. Should he approach Mr. Satan right now and hope that he quietly agreed to leave him alone or should he just wait until tomorrow? Unfortunately the decision was taken out of his hands when Mr. Satan came over and stood proudly in front of him, fists on his hips like his daughter. However, the cape made him look more like a character on a children's television program rather than an authority figure like his daughter.

"Gohan!" he shouted. "Are you ready for the BEST day ever?!"

"Uh, sure?" Gohan said, for lack of anything better to say at that moment.

"Alright, come with me!"

Hercule turned to the rest of the room that had divided itself into groups of four and had attached themselves to one of Hercule's students.

"Now, I'll be gone for a bit to keep my promise to Son Gohan here! BUT! Don't think that I won't check up on you guys later! If any of you show any promise, I MAY let you in on some of my super secret training techniques! HOWEVER these must be EARNED!"

Hercule marched out of the gym with a look of smug satisfaction on his face as he left the excited and chattering students behind him. Gohan stood there awkwardly for a moment, not quite sure what he was supposed to be doing until Videl came over and gave him a sharp nudge in the back.

"Well, go follow him!" she said, not unkindly.

"Right," he said, looking apprehensively at the back of Hercule Satan and then at his friends.

"Don't worry Gohan!" Erasa said encouragingly as she began to stretch her legs. "You heard him. It'll only be for a little bit and then you'll be back in our group!"

"Right," Gohan said again. Although this time he felt a little better knowing that he wouldn't be with Mr. Satan for the whole morning.

He broke out into a light jog so that he could catch up with Hercule (who thankfully hadn't noticed he wasn't right behind him just yet).

How bad could this be?

Apparently it could be that bad, Gohan learned as he sat sweating in front of the unique being that was Hercule Satan. Unfortunately, the sweating wasn't from any kind of light work out (which would have been easy enough), but from pure confusion and secondhand embarrassment as Hercule went into the second hour of his speech about heroism and bravery.

Gohan sat patiently on the ground in front of the posing martial artist, letting the words wash over him and fade into the background. The spot they were in was nice enough. It was just on the edge of the estates forest and a small waterfall was not even 30 feet from their location. Gohan himself sat under the shade of a large, leafy tree watching as the morning sun climbed higher and higher into the sky.

A sense of peace washed over him as he stared at some the puffy, white clouds floating across the clear blue sky, and he found himself wishing he could go flying. Unfortunately that was one of the things he would have to give up on this two month field trip.

However, this state of mind almost made Gohan miss the end of Hercule Satan's lecture.

"And THAT my young friend is why you should always try your hardest and not let anyone get you down. I'm sure after some time you'll be a great fighter just like your dad, and maybe even like me one day! So are you ready to begin?"

Gohan blinked at the short, dark-haired man as he flung his cape off and let loose a series of punches and kicks into the air.

"Uh, Mr. Satan?"

Gohan got up slowly as he glanced warily at the flailing figure in front of him. Hercule paused in the middle of his latest punch and blinked a few times in surprise.

"Yes, Gohan?"

"Um, I hate to say this, but it's almost 10 o'clock. Didn't you say you were going to check in on everyone in an hour or two?"

Hercule stared at him and blinked a few times again before looking at the position of the sun in the sky.

"Woah! Is it that late already!"

Hercule stared up at the sky for a moment, scratching his head before going to collect his cape.

"I'm sorry Gohan! I guess I just got carried away there! We'll continue your training tomorrow! I promise!"

Gohan thought this would be the best moment to mention his idea. 'It's now or never,' he thought.

"Uh, actually, Mr. Satan," Gohan began, thankfully succeeding in catching the flamboyant man's attention. "I was thinking, you don't really have to do this. I mean, I'm perfectly happy being trained just like everyone else! And, I'm sure that there are others that would really appreciate and use your training. More than I could anyway..."

Gohan trailed off as he noticed the look Hercule was giving him. Gohan only just managed to keep the look of horror off his face as he witnessed a full-grown man giving him puppy eyes.

"Not that I don't appreciate your offer!" Gohan said quickly. "I do! It's just that, well, you know..."

"You- you want me to go back on my promise?"

Hercule's lower lip began to tremble and Gohan knew he had to think fast.

"Uh, N-no!"

Gohan face was distressed as he waved his hands around in front of him.

"Nothing like that! No going back! Just, uh, easing up on it? Why not personally see to the whole class. I mean, I just want to share such a great experience with my friends is all."

Hercule rubbed his eyes with his hand before tilting his head back up to stare, unblinking, at Gohan. It was kind of creeping Gohan out, but he knew better than to say anything.

"A hero should always make sure he's fair, right?" Hercule seemed to ponder aloud. "I mean, focusing on one person wouldn't be fair, and if I still trained you personally, along with everyone else, I wouldn't be breaking my promise."

Gohan was silent, and more than a little confused, as he watched Hercule twist his words around into something resembling his original idea.

"Gohan, Gohan, Gohan," Hercule said, all traces of tears gone from his face, and instead an almost smug, but knowing look was on his face.

"Uhhh..." Gohan still wasn't sure if he should interrupt the man's thought process, wherever it might be headed.

"Gohan, my boy!" Hercule said boisterously, the spring back in his step as he clapped the teenager on the back with great energy. "You should have told me that I was compromising my image as a just and fair hero by giving you so much special treatment."

Gohan wondered how Hercule managed to come to that conclusion. He also wondered why it felt like he was being scolded even though the man was agreeing with him (sort of).

"I still owe you a debt," Hercule went on, turning sharply while letting his cape sweep off his shoulder to flutter in the wind. "So, I still want to give special attention to your training. BUT I want to give everyone some quality training time with champ. That's why they're here right?"

At this, Hercule burst out laughing, and Gohan winced, rubbing the side of his head as the man's signature gawffing echoed through the woods. Luckily, Hercule stopped just as abruptly as he'd began. And Hercule turned his head to look sheepishly at Gohan over his shoulder.

"But, uh, you know," Hercule began while poking his index fingers together a few times meekly. "I really am sorry about what I said. About your dad, I mean. I honestly didn't know. I- uh, know that nothing I say can really make up for that so..."

Gohan honestly didn't know what say. He had to admit, he was a little touched, but at the same time pretty weirded out. After all, this was the guy that called him, his friends, and his family liars and fakes every chance he got. Not to mention, he unrightfully took credit for defeating Cell. Not that Gohan wanted that kind of publicity, but... it was the principle of the thing.

However, Gohan couldn't deny that it was genuinely heartfelt apology, and that Hercule did do his best to be a positive role model (in his own way). Unfortunately, realizing this didn't magically make the right words appear before him, so he just had to wing it and hope for the best.

"Um, thanks... I guess?" Gohan said, figuring he couldn't go wrong with some expression of gratitude. "Uh, you don't have to keep apologizing, I understand. And, it's been forever since dad died. I mean, don't worry about it."

Gohan started to get a little frantic again when he saw the tears in Hercule's eyes make a regroup.

"Son, you shouldn't talk that way about your dad!" Hercule sobbed, throwing himself at Gohan to give him a hug. "He fought and gave up his life like a true hero!"

Gohan laughed nervously and patted Hercule on the back a few times, wondering what was wrong with what he said. It had been a while since his father had died, and it wasn't like Gohan wasn't used to it already. It was just a fact of life. Sometimes dad died and sometimes he came back to life. Gohan figured he'd see him again eventually. Hopefully, not for a long time, but still.

"Gohan," Hercule said once he had calmed down. Thankfully, he'd stopped crying, but he still held on tightly to Gohan's shoulders. "I realized that there is something more important right now for you to accomplish than hero training. I know now that you've lacked a father figure in your life for all these years and you don't know how special such a bond can be. When I think of my own daughter..."

Hercule took a moment to lift a hand from Gohan and bite down on one of his knuckles, clearly in some kind of emotional pain. Gohan thought for a moment that he sort of resembled Sharpner.

"So," Hercule said, finally releasing Gohan, and putting his hands on his hips. "Clearly, I should spend more quality time with YOU, not with your training. We'll head back to the others, but during lunch you should come eat with me and Videl!"

"Uh, what?" Gohan stared at the afroed man blankly, clearly not absorbing the words being thrown at him by the exuberant hero.

"I won't take no for an answer!" Hercule called behind him as he began walking back toward the mansion, fists still resting on his hips.

Gohan watched him go for a moment or two before exhaling heavily. What exactly had he gotten himself into?


End file.
